Category Archives: Shoplifting

The Mail Online website reports that a woman dubbed the ‘Mary Poppins of Matalan’ was caught pulling a stream of allegedly shoplifted clothes from her handbag.

In a video filmed by a passer-by, the woman was also seen to have a hidden compartment in her skirt outside the Matalan branch at Strood Retail Park in Kent.

The Northern Echo website reports that a serial shoplifter has been jailed for more than 20 months to give shop owners a ‘rest from her activities’.

Joanne Swift stuffed stolen goods up her jumper and filled baskets full of meat, make-up and drinks before leaving without paying from various stores, including McColl’s, Lidl and TK Maxx.

The Mirror website reports that a woman has been banned from EVERY shop in England, apart from a single branch of Tesco, after a spate of shoplifting.

Anna Burns has not been sentenced for a series of thefts from big name stores, as she has failed to turn up at court on numerous occasions.

The Lancashire Telegraph website reports that – unbelievably – a man failed to turn up for a court appearance because he was too busy shoplifting.

Usman Anwar was due to attend court for stealing alcohol from Morrison’s in August this year, but was arrested on the day of the hearing for pinching perfume from TK Maxx.

The Metro website reports that a branch of the Co-op in Bristol has resorted to putting empty ‘display packs’ on their shelves in a bid to combat shoplifting.

The store is targeted several times a day – often by the same offenders disguising themselves to avoid detection – so now legitimate customers are forced to request full items from staff.

On the US edition of the Guardian website, an article reports that people on incomes of $70,000 shoplift 30% more than those earning $20,000 per year.

The article cites one ongoing case of a ‘bait-and-switch’ scam involving two coffee makers, where the suspect paid $8million for an island in the Florida Keys, just one week before his arrest.